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9 Things to Think About Before You Give Up

If you feel like you’re at the end the road with nowhere to go, realize you are lying to yourself. You have imprisoned yourself in your own mind by telling self-defeating stories – stories about what your life should be like, what you should have already accomplished, and so forth. By doing this you’ve created a tiny space in your mind and you’ve begun to believe you are actually living in it.

But you are NOT. You are alive in a vast world with infinite destinations. Take a moment to remind yourself of this. Go outside. Look at the sky and the clouds. THIS is the space in which you really live. Breathe it in. Then look at your current situation again.

Here are some things you need to consider before you give up:

You never fail until you’re satisfied with failure. – Failure is not falling down; failure is staying down when you have the choice to get back up. Sometimes you have to fail a thousand times to succeed. Which means you haven’t really failed yet; you’ve just found a bunch of ways that don’t work. So don’t get so hung up on a few failed attempts that you miss every new opportunity coming your way. All of your ideas that don’t work are simply stepping stones on your way to the one idea that does. As Winston Churchill once said, “Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.” Read Awaken the Giant Within.

What you have learned is what’s important. – Life always offers you a second chance – it’s called tomorrow. But this second chancedoesn’t mean anything if you haven’t learned from the events of today. You have to acknowledge your troubles but gather strength from them, and laugh at your mistakes but learn from them. Getting a second chance in life is about giving yourself the opportunity to grow beyond your past failures. It’s about learning as you go and positively adjusting your attitude and efforts toward future possibilities.

Tough times are just part of life’s natural balance. – Life lives, life dies. Life laughs, life cries. Life gives up and life tries. And life looks different through everyone’s eyes. In fact, who you were, who you are, and who you will become are three completely different people. And as you gradually grow beyond the person you were yesterday, keep life’s challenges in perspective. Hear life’s harmony, and notice the delicate balance. Realize that life is like playing a grand piano. The white keys create your happiness and the black keys denote your troubles. But as you go through life’s journey, remember that the black keys also create music.

Pain helps you grow. – Sometimes things must change so you can change. Sometimes you must break a little so you can get a peek inside to see what an awesome powerhouse you are. Sometimes mistakes must be made so wisdom can be earned. Sometimes you must overcome heartache so you can begin to follow your heart again.

Success is a way of living. – Don’t let your struggles become your identity. Not everything in your life will go as you expect it to. This is why you need to drop expectations, live in the present, and go with the flow, rather than against it. Remind yourself that it’s perfectly okay not to be perfect. Ultimately, success is not something you achieve, it is what you learn and how you grow as you deal with the realities of life – it is a way of living and being. Read As a Man Thinketh.

You can choose differently. – The difference between a mountain and a molehill is your perspective. And in many cases, the only thing in life you have control over is your perspective. No matter what happens, YOU control what the meaning is, and what to do with the meaning you give to the circumstance. Choose to react in a way that motivates happiness, love, or forgiveness, even when circumstances make that choice difficult.

It’s not supposed to be easy. – Just because you’re not where you want to be today doesn’t mean you won’t be there someday. Again, success is tied to long-term determination. Successful people keep moving and trying. They make mistakes, but they do not quit. If things in your life aren’t happening as planned right now, that’s okay. It just means it’s not the right time. Life’s brick walls are not there to keep you out, they’re there to give you a chance to show how badly you want something. They’re there to stop the people who don’t want it as bad as you do.

Simplify, simplify, simplify. – Like all magnificent things, life is quite simple. Its simplicity is found not in seeing how little you can get by with – that’s poverty – but how efficiently you can conquer your biggest difficulties. Remember, the greatest wisdom of life consists in the elimination of non-essentials. Your most significant ideas and accomplishments will be genius in their simplicity. One day you will find the right words, the right decisions, and the right solutions that will lead you to victory, and they will be far simpler than they seem right now. Read The Power of Less.

Life is still good. – You may have seen better days, but you have also seen worse. You might not have all your wants, but you do have all your needs. You woke up with a few aches and pains, but you woke up. Your life may not be perfect, but it is good. And more good things are coming down the road as long as you keep moving forward.

So, I’m down another 2lbs this week and I couldn’t help but feeling like it wasn’t enough.

I was assured by my other half, aka Sgt. Nick Rians that 2-3lbs loss a week is ideal and healthy.

Still I was stuck feeling like it should be more.

While still sulking over a 2lb loss I found myself standing in the meat department of our grocery store.

I was standing there looking through the ground beef trying to find a package that came as close to 2lbs as possible for dinner.

I finally found one that was dead on 2lbs.

I’m holding this large hunk of ground beef in my hands and it hits me…. I lost this much meat off my body in the past week!!!!

I suddenly didn’t feel so bad anymore.

If ever you feel that your 2-3 lbs loss is not substantial, just go to the meat department at your grocery store and find that hunk of meat that matches your weight loss and just hold it in your hands.

You will realize that the 2lbs you worked so hard to lose really is pretty good, and give yourself a little pat on the back.

I would advise to wait until you get into the car for that, otherwise you might get some really odd looks from the butcher…. I certainly did:-)
My new thing this week is, instead of driving every where I would walk with the stroller instead. ( if it was within reasonable distance )

Now I hope nobody is laughing yet, but my 4yr old can’t even keep up with me while I walk.

She is constantly telling me mommy slow down I’m tired of running.

What I am saying is, I’m fast.

I’m pretty sure I look like one of those “power walkers” and to top it off I am constantly talking to my baby while I’m strolling along at hyper speed.

I really enjoyed myself, maybe it was all the natural vitamin D I was taking in but it was one heck of a workout.

I will never laugh or poke fun of those power walkers again, and I plan on keeping this as part of my weekly routine.

In total, down 7lbs in 3 weeks and saved one tank of gas!

Not only am I becoming my old hot self, I’m giving people something to laugh at as they drive by me while I’m talking into my stroller at hyper speed, and saving the environment!

Processed foods, additives and chemicals are inferior to real food and are potentially harmful to your health.

So why do you still eat it?

Why do you still eat that packaged granola bar and snack on those whole grain crackers? You may think that heart healthy label means something, but it doesn’t hold a candle to real food.

What is Read Food?

Here’s an easy way to tell if your food is real or not: If your food can go bad, it’s good for you. If your food can’t go bad, it’s bad for you.

Real food is fresh and unprocessed.

The Real Food Challenge

This real food challenge has the potential to change your body forever. Take the next 7 days to ONLY eat real food. One week is a very short time in the grand scheme of things, and I know you can do this.

Just try it for one week to see and feel the difference in your body.

The Rules

During the next 7 days you will avoid eating all of the following food items:

Bread

Grains

Rice

Crackers & Chips

Packaged snacks

Sugar & Corn Syrup

Soda Pop

Packaged Bars

Baked Goods

Candy

Here’s a list of the real foods that you will eat instead:

Seasonal, organic Vegetables

Seasonal, organic Fruits

Lean, organic meat, fish & eggs

Nuts and Seeds

Those four categories of food can be combined into endless, flavorful combinations. Check out the following meal ideas:

Breakfast:Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. What you decide to eat when you first wake up will set the tone for the rest of your meals that day.

Working out is just as important as your health, and in reality, working out correlates directly with our health.

If we are not taking care of our bodies, we get sick.

Before you start, there are a few things you will want to keep in mind.

If you have been sitting around for a long time, you can’t start with a full fitness routine.

You will want to start slow and build your fitness level little by little.

If you try to do too much at first, you will likely give up because it left you too sore or weak.

Start by walking every other day.

It involves the entire body and you don’t need any special equipment to walk.

A good pair of shoes is nice but don’t let your old shoes keep you from walking.

As always, check with your doctor before starting any fitness program.

Be Realistic

It would be great to be able to jump right into a hard workout, feel great, and see instant results.

However, it is important to be realistic about several things.

First, you need to understand that you more than likely will not (or should not) start out with a hard workout if you have not been in a regular exercise routine.

Start out slow and do not set yourself up for failure by expecting miracles overnight.

Getting fit takes time and with commitment, you will reach your goals.

Envision Success

Try to envision how great you will look and feel once you get in shape.

If you can, find a picture of someone that has the same body type and pin it up where you can look at it every day to help you see the same results you too can reach with hard work and time.

Track Progress

Often when trying to get in shape, it seems like you are working hard and sweating, but getting nowhere.

In actuality, things are happening, just not yet seen.

We see ourselves in the mirror everyday.

Which makes it difficult to realize our changes.

If you can, take a picture of yourself in the same outfit every two weeks.

Also keep track of these two things.

First, track your measurements.

You will probably be surprised within only a few weeks at the progress made.

Second, track your routines so you can determine what is working for you and what is not as successful.

Warm Up

Before you start your exercise routine you will need to get your muscles and joints warmed up.

If you have a foam roller and know how to use it, GREAT!

If not, I will make some video’s on how to properly foam roll to warm up your muscles and joints.

Stay tuned!

Cool Down

Just as warming up for exercise is important, cooling down after exercise is just as important.

Once you have completed your workout, take five to 10 minutes to walk, or stretch to allow your body to cool down.

This is very important for the muscles and joints and for the heart and lung.

Diabetes and Exercise

Aerobic exercise can actually be beneficial for people with diabetes.

This exercise increases the insulin sensitivity and when combined with good eating, can help restore a normal glucose metabolism.

Before starting into a workout program, you need to see your doctor first to determine if there are any risks for coronary artery disease and that your blood glucose control is appropriate for exercise.

Once cleared, you will feel better and see for you the benefits associated with exercise.

Get Started Today

Now that you have read this and you are ready to get started, go to our Youtube channel and start following along with me in the FRX Training Video’s.

I know we only have a few out so far, but we are adding 2 to 3 new workouts every week.

Have you ever sat down and really thought about what motivates you? Have you ever compared what motivates you and what doesn’t motivate you? If not, you should try it. Does setting short term goals work for you or does setting long-term goals work for you. Maybe it’s a combination of both?

I want to take a look at some different types of ranking systems and really see what the driving force behind them is. Do they actually motivate people or does it make people feel inferior.

Military Ranking

Ranking systems have been used for centuries in the military. Why is this? Does this system motivate men and women to give up their lives for their country? Since I am a former Marine, I have a little insight into this. I do not believe the ranking system is what motivates people to sacrifice themselves for their country. No, they fight for the men and women in uniform beside them. They fight for their loved ones back home. But the ranking system does keep them motivated in other ways. When you are a Private at the bottom of the totem pole, you want nothing more then to graduate to the next rank. One reason is so you don’t have so many people yelling at you. Another reason is because it gives you a sense of pride. With more rank comes more responsibility. Some people may not like more responsibility, but I have seen this transform boys into leaders. Sometimes all it takes is to give someone a little more responsibility to really see him or her shine!

When I was a squad leader in charge of 4 nineteen-year-old Marines, I saw this exact thing happen. His name was PFC Pitt. Now Pitt did what he was asked and performed his duties like he was supposed to, but he did the bare minimum. He did not go above and beyond what he was asked to do. I have seen this a lot outside of the military. People just do what they need to do to get by and do just enough not to get yelled at by their superiors. Wouldn’t you like to be one of those superiors? What makes them better then you? I bet you, they went above and beyond what was expected of them and that is what got them to that position. Sometimes all it takes is giving someone a little taste. So that is what I did with young PFC Pitt.

I decided I wanted to see if he had what it took to be a leader. If you are in a leadership position, you might be surprised with people’s performance once you put them in charge of something. So on a combat drill on Camp Pendleton, I decided to step down as Squad Leader and let PFC Pitt take over. Now, when I informed him of this he’s eyes got real wide and he panicked to the point I thought he might throw up, but he held it together. Once the hatch of our AAV amphibious vehicle opened up and the battle was on, I saw a boy become a leader. He was calling out orders to his squad and leading the way on the attack. He made sure his men were doing what they were supposed to be doing and guided them successfully through the entire battle.

After this I made sure he was promoted to his next rank. And Lance Corporal Pitt went above and beyond every duty he was given after that.

Now I’ll share another personal story that a lot of people do not know about me. In my younger years, I was a little wild! So when I joined the Marines when I was 18, I still had a little wild left in me.

I had been in the military for almost a year, when I had a friend ask me if I wanted to just take off. In the Marines, this is called UA (unauthorized absence) in other branches it’s called AWOL. For myself, I didn’t really care either way, stay or go? I thought taking off sounded exciting. Being on the run from the government, living life on the edge. So we did it! I’m not going to bore you with all the details, but the first time I left I was gone for 6 days before my parents turned me in. I got sent back and was punished with extra duties and they took all my pay for two months. I was pretty pissed off, so I took off again. This time I was smarter and was gone for 30 days. By that time I had no money left and the thought of never being able to use my real name again was not looking too good. So I decided to turn myself in. This time the Marines were not going to be so nice with my punishment. I was court martialed, stripped of all rank and sentenced to serve time in the Brig (military prison). Not a fun place to be when you are 19. It was a very scary experience, but one I do not regret. Serving time inside a military prison really set me straight. It opened my eyes to what would happen if I didn’t do my job and do it the best I could. I was a changed man after getting out of that place.

I went back to my unit as a Private, the lowest rank in the Marines. All my friends that I came in with were two ranks higher then me. Now some people could let this situation break them and feel sorry for themselves. But not me, something inside me was woken up in that dark scary prison. I used being at the lowest rank possible as motivation. I wanted to prove to everyone that I could get my rank back! This motivation propelled me to work harder and longer then everyone else. I wanted my rank back!

So my unit put me up for a meritorious board to try and win my rank back. This is a competition between 1000’s of Marines to see who has the most knowledge on tactics, military appearance, history, and military bearing. I studied day and night. Anytime that I had between my regular training and duties, I was working on winning that board so I could get my rank back. The day of the competition came and I blew everyone out of the water! I won my second rank back. Now I still had a long road ahead of me, but this victory just fueled my motivation.

In the end, I won 4 meritorious boards and exited the Marines a higher rank then all of my peers.

So in conclusion, I believe that the military rank structure can motivate people to higher levels then they can even imagine. And this is why this system has been in place for centuries and will not be going any place anytime soon. So if you believe that a fitness ranking system would work to motivate you to higher levels, check out this link www.FitRanX.com